Quilting-frame.



Patented Mar. I8, I902.

a. H. ox. QUILTING FRAME. (Application filed Jul 23, '1901) (N0 Mtidal.)

THE NORRIS FUER$ c0. worourua, WASHINGTON, o. c

UNITE TATES DAVID H. FOX, OF SEVERY, KANSAS.

.QUILTING-FRAME.

SEECIFIGATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 695,452, dated March 18, 1902. Application filed July 23,1901. Serial No. 69,360. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID H. FOX, a citizen of the United States, residing at Severy, in the county of Greenwood and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Quilting-Frames, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to quilting-frames for sewing-machines, andvhas for its object to produce a device of this character whereby the work of quilting is expedited and efficiently performed.

A further object is to produce a device of this character which is of simple, strong, durable, and cheap construction.

With these objects in view and others, as hereinafter appear, the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and combinations of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed, and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a quiltingframe embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged end view of-theisame. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line III III of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section on the dotted line IV'of Fig. 2. cross-section.

Referring to the drawings in detail, where like reference numerals designate corresponding parts, 1, 2, and 3 designate parallel rollers adapted to receive, respectively, the lining-roll, the top roll, and the quiltroll that is, the roll on which the lining and top with the interposed batting is wound after being quilted together. The shafts of rollers 1 and 3 are j ournaled at their opposite ends in horizontal end frames 4'and 5,- frame 4 embodying the reduced portion 6, which near its outer end is bent upwardly, as at 7, and terminates in a bearing 8 for the shaft of rollerv 3. The shaft of roller 2, which is arranged contiguous to roller 1, but in a plane prefer-V ably above that intersecting the axis of'rollers 1 and 3, is journaled in the free or adjustable end of and forms a part of a second frame, this frame consisting of end-bar 9, resting upon the reduced portion 6 of frame 4, with its outer end depressed, as at 10, and hinged, as at 11, upon the shaft of roller 3,

Fig. 5 is a central so as to form in conjunction with hearing 8 a bearing for said roller. The opposite end of said hinged frame comprises a bar 12 at the front side of frame 5, the opposite ends of said bar fitting loosely upon and forming a supplemental bearing for the shafts of rollers 2 and 3, the shaft of the former extending through a notch 13 in the upper edge of frame 5, which notch is normally closed by means of an angle-arm 14, projectingfrom said bar, (see Fig. 4,) so that the turn-buttons 15 upon frames 4 and 5 may be employed to secure said second frame in its depressed 'or operative position, as shown most clearly ratchet-Wheel 17, the latter, through the instrumentality of the spring-pressed pawl 18, being adapted to effect the rotation of the sprocket wheel 19, carrying said springpressed pawl. A sprocket-chain 20 connects sprocket-wheel 19 with the similar sprocketwheel 21, journaled on the shaft of roller 2, motion being imparted to the shaft from said sprocket-wheel through the medium of the spring-pressed pawl 22, carried by the wheel and the ratchet-wheel 23, secured rigidly on the shaft.

For transmitting motion from roller 2 to roller 1 a cog-wheel 24, secured to the shaft of roller 2 or to sprocket-wheel 21, engages the in termeshing idler gear-wheels 25 and 26, mounted on frame 5, gear-wheel 26 meshing also with cog-wheel 27, j ournaled on the shaft of roller 1 and provided with a spring-pressed pawl 28, engaging ratchet-wheel 29, rigidly mounted on said shaft.

Secured tothe ends of frames 4 and 5, in which roller 1 is j ournaled,are approximately quadrantshaped arms 30,terminating'at their upper or free ends in straight fiat slotted terminals 31, through which upwardly extend bolts 32, said bolts also extending up through the ends of the bridging-bar32, resting on said straight fiat terminals,wing-nuts 33 engaging thenpper ends of the bolts to clamp said bar rigidly at the point uponsaid terminals best adapted for balancing the'device and hold its frames 4 and 5 horizontal;

Attached at its opposite ends to eyebolts 34, projecting upwardly from bar 32, is a suspension cable 35, attached midway its length to a depending pin 36, swiveled in the body portion of a traveling carriage 37, said carriage also embracing upwardly-projecting arms 38, on which are journaled grooved wheels 39. engaging and adapted to travel back and forth upon a track, said track being preferablyin the form of a cable 40, stretched taut across the room and attached at its opposite ends to any suitable devices, said cable embodying a tension device, such as a turnbuckle mechanism, as at 4:1, for tightening it when desirable or necessary.

In practice the lining material, as at a, is wound upon roller 1 in any suitable manner, and the material for the top, as at b, is wound upon roller 2, said lining and top material stretching laterally from the under sides of rollers l and 2 to the under side of roller 3, where they are secured in any suitable manner. The hinged frame after being released by turning turn-buttons 15 at right angles to the position shown in Fig. 1 are adjusted to approximately the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, in order to give access to that portion of the lining extending from roller 1 to roller 3 and permit the operator to place thereon a sheet or sheets of cotton-batting, as at c. Said hinged frame is then lowered to its operative position and resecured thereat by the turn-buttons, and in this connection it will be noted that parallelism between that portion of the top and lining extending from roller 2 to roller 3 is practically insured because of the fact that the lower periphery of roller 2 occupies a plane below that connecting the upper surface of roller 1 and the lower surface of roller 3, and therefore depresses the lining, as shown clearly in Fig. 5. The parts being new arranged, the sewing-machine presser-foot (not shown) enters the space bounded by frames 4 and 5 and rollers 2 and 3 by way of depression 10 in the rear part of the hinged frame, this depression being formed because the reduced portion 6 of frame 4 is depressed below the plane of roller 3, contiguous to which the presser-foot operates, as the operator causes the quiltingframe to move back and forth, the carriage travelinglikewise upon the suspension-track.

It will thus be seen that the portion of the top and lining extending between rollers 2 and 3 and the interposed batting may be stitched their full width, the length of the frame being, of course, greater than the width of the quilt, and it will also be observed in this connection that by reason of the swiveled relation between pin 36 and the carriage the operator is enabled to swing the carriage to the right or left,and thereby cause the presserfoot to followa tortuous course. In fact, this arrangement permits a skillful operator to cause the presser-foot to follow a predetermined outline, which may be of almost any desired design or configuration. After the quilt is stitched completely across from one side to the other the operator grasps eranlp handle 16 and turns the same the desired distance to wind the quilted portion of said top a and lining upon roller3, rollers 1 and 2 unwinding material to compensate for what is wound upon roller 3 through the medium of the gearing described, back rotation of the gearing being prevented by the pawl-andratchet mechanism. The quilting operation above described is then repeated, after which the crank is again turned and more of the completed quilt wound on roller 3, these operations being continued until the quilt is completed, at which time the frame is adjusted until the rear or front end, as the case may be, is contiguous to a wall of the room. It is then turned at right angles to its operative position, so that one of its longer sides shall be parallel with and contiguous to the wall, in which position it obviously occupies less space than if projecting out into the room endwise. It may be secured reliably in this position or at any point on the track when desired by means of a locking device, consisting, preferably, of an arm .87, secured to the carriage and provided with an eye 37", embracing the track, and a set-screw 37, mounted in said arm and impinging on the track, and in this connection it should be stated .that I preferably employ a dog-and-ratchet mechanism to prevent motion of the liningroller when inserting the batting, the ratchet 1 being mounted on the shaft and the dog 1 on frame 5. WVhen the quilting operation is in progress, the dog 1" is disengaged from the ratchet, as shown in dotted lines.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a quilting-frame for sewing machines which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of invention and which is under perfect control of the operator at all times. It is to be understood, of course, that while I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of the invention it is susceptible of various changes as regards its form, proportion, detail construction, and arrangement of the parts without departing from the essential spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A quilting-frame for sewing-machines, provided with parallel lining and quilt rollers, a frame hinged to the shaft of the quilt-roller, and formed with a depression contiguous to the latter, a top roller journaled in the free end of the hinged frame and having its shaft resting in a notch of and projecting beyond an end bar of the quilting frame proper, and gearing mounted on the shafts of said rollers outward of the quilting frame, and connected so as to operate synchronously, substantially as described.

2. A quilting-frame for sowingmaehines, provided with parallel lining and quilt lil rollers, a frame hinged on the shaft of the quilt-roller and formed with ardepression contiguous to the latter and having one of its end bars fitting snuglyin a notch 0f the quilting-frame, a top roller journaled atone end in the free end of said bar, and having the opposite end of its shaft projecting through a notch in the opposite end bar of the frame, a bar forming the opposite end of the hinged frame at the outer side of the notched end bar of the quilting-frame, and hinged at one end on the quilt-roller shaft and forming a journal at its opposite end for the top roller, sprocket-Wheels upon the quilt and top roller shafts, and sprocket-chains connecting the same, paWl-and-ratchet mechanism to prevent back rotation thereof, a train of gearing connecting the top roller shaft with the lining-roller shaft, and means to prevent back rotation of the latter, all arranged substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. A quilting-frame for sewing-machines,

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

DAVID I-I. FOX.

Witnesses: V

T. J. ROBINSON, S. PR TZMAN; 

